Grand Risings Mon!
Back in 2005 I went through a Tres Dias weekend in the North Georgia Tres Dias community near Dahlonega, Georgia. Tres Dias is a Christian movement that has been around since the 1940’s. It is a 3-day spiritual retreat that provides an opportunity to unplug from the “world” for a minute and spend total focus on the spiritual side of life uninterrupted for a few days. For me it was a life changing time when I went through on my weekend with about 40 other guys. Once the weekend is over, you can come back and serve on a team of about 85 guys that serves the next group of guys and “give back” by serving. There are a number of ways to serve on the weekend including preparing meals, setting up the chapel, cleaning the dorm rooms, praying for the guys and the speakers, and many more. In 2006 I was asked to help with starting a community in Jamaica by some buddies on the team that were from the island nation with a heart for the men and women of their homeland. Today’s story will be about a recent visit I took to this wonderful country with my buddies.
But first…A Joke:
Some handsome dude named Mark stood before the Pearly Gates, and St. Peter asked him, “Tell me sir, “Have you done anything in your life that would qualify you to enter heaven?”
“Well, there’s this one thing. On a trip to Atlanta, I came upon a gang of bikers who were threatening an old lady. I stormed over toward them and told them in no uncertain terms to leave her alone, but they just laughed and told me to kick rocks (well, it may have been rougher language than that). So, I rolled up my sleeves and I went right up to the biggest, most heavily tattooed biker and looked him straight in the eye then whacked him on the head, kicked his bike over and ripped out his nose ring, threw it on the ground, and told him “Leave her alone now, or you’ll answer to me dirtbag!”
St. Peter’s eyes were as big as saucers. He said, “I’m impressed sir, when did this happen?” I said, “About two minutes ago.”
A Verse to Contemplate:
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires, to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24.
Have I Told You This One?
I met a few Jamerican brothers through serving with them on a Tres Dias weekend about twenty years ago now. Back then, I was still trying to take over the world as the new wonder boy of the business world. I was traveling a ton, had a lot of family responsibilities, was probably overactive in my church, and trying to develop friendships with people at work and in my neighborhood. I enjoy being busy and getting things done so when I was asked to consider going to Jamacia to serve on a Tres Dias weekend I initially thought that I didn’t have the time capacity to do it even though I thought the idea was intriguing and would be challenging. I told them I needed to think about it and check with Michelle to see if she would be okay for being alone with the girls for five or six days.
Interesting how God works sometimes (well, actually ALL the time). A day or so after I was asked to consider the trip one of my girls came to me and wanted my opinion on a problem she was having with some kids at school. We sat down to discuss the matter and I believe God gave me an answer for her AND me during our time together. She explained that she thought her friendships were always one-sided and that she felt she always had to be the one to organize things and make the first call, etc. A not untypical response I experienced from young ladies and their relationships. It was clear as a mountain stream what the “solution” was in my mind. I told her “Sweetie, when you start getting wrapped up in yourself and are fighting the blues and don’t think everyone is pulling their weight I know the exact thing you should always do.” She got a bit excited and said “What Dad?”. My answer was not what she wanted to hear but was nonetheless the right response. I told her “Serve them!” She got that look on her face like she gets when we are driving back home from Taco Bell and she’s not sure who to be mad at and said, “Thanks Dad, you’re a big help!”. I told her that I understand that it was not what she was hoping or expecting to hear but that using Jesus as an example, we are to be Prodigal with our love. The definition of prodigal is: spending money or resources freely and recklessly, wastefully extravagant. Most of us think negatively about that word but in the context of relationships it means to go way beyond what is expected and show your friends how much you really love them and care about them. Do it in a way that they look at you and go, WOW!
After she went off scratching her head and giving me the side eye, I listened to my own advice and decided that I needed to go to Jamacia and be a prodigal to those folks. Living on the north side of Atlanta and in the suburbs of Montego Bay are vastly different. It’s funny, when I tell people that I’m going to Jamaica they give me that Monty Python look and go “wink, wink, nudge, nudge, going to Jamaica”. I tell them I’m not going there for that but to serve some folks on a spiritual retreat. After they stop laughing, they go “wink, wink, nudge, nudge….spiritual retreat.” I just smile and go I’ll tell you all about when I get back. Interestingly, I have been there four times over the past fifteen years and I have yet to step foot into the ocean. In fact, we pay team fees and our own way there and back. We stay in non-air-conditioned rooms and facilities that are nowhere near American standard….and love every minute of it.
For the most recent trip I flew into “MoBay” and met up with our American based team and then we traveled about five hours in a bus to the camp. We set up the camp for the weekend and started on a Thursday evening after the twenty new brothers joined us and allowed us to serve them. It’s a bit awkward at first on most weekends since the new guys are trying to figure out what is going on and the cultural differences can be challenging. But once they see that we are truly there just to serve them and are trying to give them the same unique experience we all had on our weekends and that we are trying to help them be better leaders in their homes, churches and work places the awkwardness changes to a brotherhood that is typically not experienced in today’s world. Now as a man in my 60’s (ughh), It also has a feel that I am helping young men that could be my sons and sometimes grandsons. It is so satisfying to serve. When you say yes to Him and do what He is preparing you to do, you quit worrying about who didn’t return your calls, or who’s turn it is to pick up the bill. Another cool thing is how fast the racial barrier was broken. Being a white dude amongst mostly Jamaican brothers is difficult at first but once they see me/us as servants and not something else the walls drop. God Lord, I wish I could bring that back home with me. What a wonderful experience to have us just be friends and brothers in the Lord.
During the weekend, the Rector (main leader), a Jamerican friend, coined a phrase that was used throughout the time there. Grand Rising was our greeting to each other, and it was always followed by a smile. It’s way cooler than “Hey, How Ya Doing?”
The worship time was fabulous! There was some church going down with these guys. I got made fun of for my limited dancing skills, you know, the white guy shuffle where I stand in one place and drill a hole in the floor! It was okay though, I got to give a talk on leadership and how important it was to stand up and be the change agent in their families and communities. I got to share about leadership when things are hard and people don’t want to change and how expensive the cost of being a leader can be sometimes. I was one of fifteen speakers over the weekend and it felt like we made some positive impact on our new friends.
I was exhausted when I boarded the flight back home and was happy to land at the airport in Atlanta. On the way home, I got cut off several times, flipped off, brake checked, stuck in rush hour traffic, and realized I was no longer on the mountain top, and the fourth day had begun. I just sighed and thought back to my time on the rock, hit the radio for some Marley and turned up the volume. Grand Risings Mon, Every-ting Gonna Be Alright!
A Prayer:
Father, remind me when I am searching for answers that You are the answer. Thank You for guiding me through the storms of life. You are my shelter.
Book Recommendation:
The Boys In The Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown (2014).
Music Recommendation:
Fragile by Yes (1972)